US20050033806A1 - System and method for communicating images between intercommunicating users - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention for passing, by one or more application servers, images from a broadcaster computer to a first viewer computer may include receiving a request to initiate one or more server connections between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer. The connections being for passing an image and an instant message. The method also includes facilitating a peer-to-peer connection between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer. The peer-to-peer connection being for passing the image. The method also includes facilitating communication of an image over the peer-to-peer connection instead of the server connections, thereby conserving bandwidth of the servers.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
• This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/392,174, filed Jun. 26, 2002, entitled “System and Method for Transmitting Images Between Intercommunicating Users,” which is incorporated by reference herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The invention relates to the field of transmitting information over communication networks, and more particularly, to a system and method for communicating images between intercommunicating users.
• 2. Description of Related Art
• Increasingly, people are choosing to communicate with each other via computer networks, such as the Internet. Popular forms of communicating over the Internet include e-mail and chat rooms. Recently, instant messaging has become a popular format for communicating over the Internet. Instant messaging is a type of communication service that enables a user to carry on an electronic “conversation” with another individual, and to maintain personal or private lists of persons that the user communicates with frequently. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts the user whenever somebody on his or her private list is online. Then, the user can initiate a conversation session with that particular individual in a near real-time manner by typing messages and reading typed responses.
• A deficiency of many instant messaging systems is that, because instant messaging is generally a text-based system, a user cannot see the person that the user is communicating with. Without any visual contact, it is difficult to communicate emotions or understand messages as easily as if, for example, one could observe the facial expressions of the person one is communicating with. Furthermore, without seeing the person, the identity of the person cannot be confirmed. Accordingly, while instant messaging is a popular means of communicating, it is, in some respects, an unnatural and awkward form of communication.
• Video conferencing has existed for some time, but its use has not been largely popular for various reasons. Generally, video conferencing is a system whereby an uploader or broadcaster (person sending an image) uses a camera or other such image capture device to send his image to one or more viewers (person or persons receiving and viewing the image). By its nature, video conferencing tends to demand larger resources (network transport resources (e.g., bandwidth) and/or processing and equipment resources at the end user) and is more complex than, for example, text or audio based systems. This relatively large use of resources and bandwidth makes use of video conferencing difficult, especially for the typical home computer user, who may have a dial-up or other relatively slow (low bandwidth) Internet connection.
• A variety of systems have been created in an attempt to overcome these deficiencies. Some simple systems involve sending an image to a central server through a standard protocol, such as FTP, at regular intervals of time, while a similar system at the receiving end grabs the images at periodic intervals from the central server for viewing. Such systems have the overhead of making and breaking a connection for every single image frame processed. Furthermore, these systems cannot synchronize an uploader system and a viewer system, nor can they perform intelligent optimization since there is no dedicated connection. Examples of such systems are the ones offered by spotlife (http://www.spotlife.com/), and Earthcam TV (http://tv.earthcam.com/).
• Other publicly available video conferencing systems, such as Microsoft's NetMeeting (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/), are more complex. NetMeeting allows one-on-one video conferencing essentially through a peer-to-peer connection only. A central server is used only for the purpose of determining a user location and is optional. Another example of a similar system is CuSeeme (http://www.cuseeme.com/).
• Another shortcoming of these systems is that they may limit bandwidth for a single viewer session or limit the number of viewer sessions. Such systems may be subject to relatively large costs and may be open to attacks from hackers who may try to break or disrupt a video conferencing system by uploading or viewing a large number of images.
• Another shortcoming of known systems is that they may reduce their performance to the lowest common denominator, that is, images can be served only as fast as the slowest viewer can receive them. As such, a need exists for an improved system and method for transmitting images.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention satisfies these and other needs, as will be apparent from the teachings herein. Various embodiments of the present invention taught herein provide for a system and method that allows for the communication of images between two or more users connected to a network, under the supervision and control of a Webcam service provider, a Webcam being a device at a user location that captures images of a user for transmission over a communication network. In one embodiment, the present invention allows users to transmit images in conjunction with instant messaging sessions.
• Generally, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a Webcam server may be, for example, a central hub that receives images from broadcaster computers and transmits those images to viewer computers.
• In an embodiment of the invention, the system may incorporate a peer-to-peer component as well as a central server component. In such an embodiment, a broadcaster computer may transmit images to a single viewer computer via a peer-to-peer connection. If, however, multiple viewer computers join the Webcam session, or if the peer-to-peer connection is lost, the broadcaster computer may transmit images to a viewer computer(s) via the Webcam server.
• An embodiment of the present invention for passing, by one or more application servers, images from a broadcaster computer to a first viewer computer may include receiving a request to initiate one or more server connections between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer. The connections being for passing an image and an instant message. The method also includes facilitating a peer-to-peer connection between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer. The peer-to-peer connection being for passing the image. The method also includes facilitating communication of an image over the peer-to-peer connection instead of the server connections, thereby conserving bandwidth of the servers.
• Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. It is understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for the purpose of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
• In the drawing figures, which are not to scale, and which are merely illustrative, and wherein like reference numerals depict like elements throughout the several views:
• FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an overview of a exemplary embodiment of the system architecture of a system and method for transmitting images in accordance with the present invention;
• FIGS. 2A and 2B are flow diagrams of a process of a broadcaster connecting with a first viewer in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
• FIGS. 3A and 3B are flow diagrams of a process of a second viewer joining the broadcaster and first viewer ofFIGS. 2A and 2B;
• FIGS. 4A and 4B are flow diagrams of a process of the second viewer leaving a viewing session with the broadcaster and first viewer ofFIGS. 3A and 3B;
• FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting graceful degradation of image transfer in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 6 is a chart depicting an exemplary sliding window throttle algorithm in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary method of limiting bandwidth in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 8 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary method of providing proportional performance in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 9 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary method of providing selective access in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 10 is an exemplary screen shot of a preference dialog box in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 11 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary method of providing selective removal of a viewer in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 12 is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary method of providing dynamic settings in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 13A is a block diagram depicting exemplary data tables in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 13B is a block diagram depicting exemplary data tables in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of an overview of a exemplary embodiment of a system architecture of an instant messenger system in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 15 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 16 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 17 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 18 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 19 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 20 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 21 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 22 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 23 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 24 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention;
• FIG. 25 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention; and
• FIG. 26 is an exemplary screen shot in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
• There will now be shown and described in connection with the attached drawing figures several exemplary embodiments of a system and method for transmitting images.
• With reference toFIG. 1, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of a system and method for transmittingimages100.System100 generally comprises: one ormore viewer computers130,132 for fetching and displaying images of a user; one ormore broadcaster computers120 for uploading images of a user and transmitting the images to aWebcam server110 and/or one ormore viewer computers130,132; and one ormore Webcam servers110, for receiving images, and/or controlling and/or monitoring information from one ormore broadcaster computers120, transmitting those images toviewer computers130,132, and controlling and monitoring the uploading, transmitting and viewing of images by users.
• In an exemplary embodiment,Webcam server110 is implemented in one or more computing devices, now known or hereafter to become known, that can be configured to permitWebcam server110 to control and monitor the uploading, transmitting and viewing of images by clients, and perform other functions taught herein or recognized by those of skill in the art. In certain embodiments, theWebcam server110 is one or more servers running an operating system, for example, Windows NT/2000 or Sun Solaris.
• Webcam server110 communicates with user computers (broadcaster computers120 andviewer computers130,132), authenticates user information, receives images from an uploader system (discussed below) on thebroadcaster computer120 and transmits images to theviewer computers130,132.Webcam server110 may have loaded thereonserver system107. In an exemplary embodiment,server system107 may be software designed and configured to facilitate performance of server functions including the storage of data and parameters in memory atWebcam server110. Additionally,Webcam server110 preferably caches images in memory to ensure that the reading and writing of images is fast and efficient. TheWebcam server110 may manageviewer computers130,132 on heterogeneous networks (networks with different bandwidth and information flow capabilities) by refraining from sending images (dropping images) as and whenviewer computers130,132 fail to consume images at the supplied rate (as discussed below). This provides a scalable frame rate at a fixed image quality while adapting the process of transmitting images to dynamic micro-variations within a network.
• Thebroadcaster computer120 may be any type of computer or computing device used by a user, as long as the computer may be equipped with an image capturing device or Webcam such as a camera/video device103 for electronically capturing images of a user. In alternative embodiments,broadcaster computer120 may be a desktop or notebook computer, PDA, hand held device, or wireless phone (with graphics capability), or any other device now known or hereafter developed that is capable of performing the functions as described herein. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention,broadcaster computer120 may have loaded thereonuploader system102. Theuploader system102 may be software that resides onbroadcaster computer120 for execution in a conventional manner. Theuploader system102 captures images from camera/video device103, (such as, for example, video devices that support Microsoft Direct Show), compresses the image using, for example, a wavelet basedJPEG 2000 code, and transmits it to theWebcam server110. Theuploader system102 may comprise an inner Networking and Imaging (“N&I”) component interacting with and, in the programming vernacular, “wrapped around” a user interface (“UI”) component. In an exemplary embodiment, the N&I component may be common across a variety of software applications, for a given software platform, while the UI component can be customized and tailored to the need of specific applications and even localized.
• Theviewer computer130,132 may be any type of computer or computing device used by a user, as long as the computer is capable of displaying images, for example, in JPEG or any other now known or hereafter developed format. Accordingly,viewer computer130,132 may be a desktop or notebook computer, PDA, hand held device, or wireless phone (with graphics capability), or any other device now known or hereafter developed that is capable of such displays. In an exemplary embodiment, aviewer system105 is loaded onviewer computer130,132. Theviewer system105 may be software residing on theviewer computer130,132 for execution in a conventional manner.
• When theviewer computer130,132 is communicating with theWebcam server110 over acommunication network133 such as, for example, the Internet, Local Area Network (“LAN”) or Wide Area Network (“WAN”), theviewer system105 persistently fetches images from either theWebcam server110 or, under certain circumstances, as discussed below, directly frombroadcaster computer120. As described further herein, theviewer system105 preferably provides a simple window that displays images and status messages on a status bar including a time stamp of the last received image, although the precise configuration is a matter of design choice based on the teachings herein. In an exemplary embodiment, the image may be zoomed to, for example, 100%, 200%, or 300% of the original size or full screen. Additionally, in an exemplary embodiment, theviewer system105 may (in a manner that may be transparent to the user) pause the viewer system when a user has minimized the viewer window or a user's screen saver activates, thereby avoiding network activity when it is not required.
• In an exemplary embodiment, assystem100 is used,broadcaster computer120 andviewer computer130,132 attempt to establish peer-to-peer connections. If a peer-to-peer connection is established, images are passed directly throughcommunication path160 frombroadcaster computer120 toviewer computer130. If no peer-to-peer connection is established, or ifmultiple viewer computers130,132 are used with thebroadcaster computer120, thebroadcaster computer120 uploads images to theWebcam server110 viacommunication path160 for distribution byWebcam server110. In an alternate embodiment, multiple peer-to-peer links may be established betweenbroadcaster computer120 andmultiple viewer computers130,132.
• Images may be uploaded frombroadcaster computer120 toWebcam server110 throughcommunication path150 if no peer-to-peer connection is established between thebroadcast computer120 andviewer computer130 or if there aremultiple viewer computers130,132 viewing images in near simultaneity.
• When routed viaWebcam server110, images may be transmitted throughcommunication paths152,154 tomultiple viewer computers130,132.
• In an exemplary embodiment, theWebcam broadcaster computer120,viewer computers130,132 andWebcam server110 may communicate using any now known or hereafter developed protocol, including a proprietary protocol that runs over, for example, TCP port5100. A single persistent connection and a common protocol may be used to communicate both control information and image data. The protocol may be “light weight” and essentially based on binary control headers followed by a fixed length data. The control header may contain information about the nature and type of the fixed length data and the action to be performed. TheWebcam server110,broadcaster120 andviewer130,132 computers interpret the control headers appropriately and ignore them if not understood. One skilled in the art will recognize that the particular communication protocol implemented may be varied in manners now known in the art, or hereafter to become known, to accomplish the teachings herein.
• In an embodiment of the invention, thebroadcaster computer120,viewer computer130,132 and/orWebcam server110 may communicate in a variety of manners, including but not limited to a network using a data packet transfer protocol (such as the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”), User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (“UDP/IP”)), a plain old telephone system (“POTS”), a cellular telephone system (such as the Advance Mobile Phone Service (“AMPS”)), a digital communication system (such as GSM, TDMA, or CDMA) or any other now known or later-developed technology or protocols. Accordingly, while an exemplary embodiment ofsystem100 may provide for the transmission of images and data via the Internet, transmission of images and data may also be provided via other networks such as, for example, internal corporate wired or wireless local area networks (“LANs”) or wide area networks (“WANs”), or any other communication media over which data may be exchanged.
• In an exemplary embodiment, thesystem100 may use a client-server architecture with two distinct processes involved. The first process involves uploading images taken from abroadcaster computer120 to theWebcam server110, while the second process is the retrieval of images from theWebcam server110 and transmission of the images to theviewer computers130,132 for the purpose of viewing.
• This architecture supports the sharing of images from onebroadcaster computer120 tomany viewer computers130,132 without any additional burden on any of thebroadcaster120 orviewer130,132 computers or degradation of service. Dedicated connections facilitate improved refreshing of viewer images while improving security and lowering network overhead. The architecture allows for a variety of image viewers, including client specific applications, Web browsers and PDAs. This architecture also readily yields itself to use in heterogeneous networks where each user could be connected to a network with different bandwidth capabilities.
• Furthermore, a set of servers or server farms distributed throughout the communication network may be employed (not shown) to accomplish the functionality ofserver110, so that most users will be reasonably close to at least one of the server farms. Additionally, the system as described minimizes the inability of any user to interact with the system due to blockage by a firewall, since both thebroadcaster120 andviewer130,132 computers make outbound connections to theWebcam server110, a type of connection which is generally more commonly accepted by firewalls than are inbound connections.
• A special case (discussed in greater detail below) occurs when there is onebroadcaster computer120 and oneviewer computer130. Under these circumstances, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, image data may flow directly from thebroadcaster computer120 to the viewer computer130 (i.e., peer-to-peer instead of passing through the Webcam server110). In this scenario, thebroadcaster computer120 and theviewer computer130 may have the ability to shift between peer-to-peer and server modes as deemed optimal bysystem100, preferably without the need for user intervention.
• In an exemplary embodiment,system100 provides for security and authentication to establish that a client user is in fact who he/she claims to be. The task of allowing or denying permission for aviewer computer130,132 to view a specific broadcaster computer's120 images is preferably controlled by theuploader system102 at thebroadcaster computer120, although this may be a server based function.
• In an exemplary embodiment, token-based authentication may be used when images are to be broadcasted or viewed. Authenticating the user may be accomplished by theuploader system102 and/or theviewer system105 requiring a client to enter a password or identifier (“ID”), and then matching the entered ID to it with that found in a universal database (“UDB”)1310 (seeFIG. 13A). In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, theUDB1310 may reside atserver110 and may comprise user parameters such as, by way of non-limiting example, user ID parameters, user password parameters, user name parameters, mail preferences parameters, application parameters and address book parameters. When a match is made, theuploader system102 orviewer system105 may generate a token, which is understood only by theserver system107 atWebcam server110. For additional safety, the tokens may have a timeout period after which time they expire.
• It will be understood by those skilled in the art that whileWebcam server110 is discussed herein generally as being embodied in a single server computer,Webcam server110 may comprise any number of interconnected computers. In addition to providing the basic functionality described above, the architecture of theWebcam server110 may provide scalability, redundancy, the ability to automatically recover from errors and crashes in the system and provide free time for scheduled maintenances, all with limited or no disruption in service. To achieve this, in an exemplary embodiment, a master-slave arrangement of n servers (not shown) may be used. In such an arrangement, which is within the skill of those skilled in the present art based on the disclosure herein, two servers, for example, may be masters and the rest may be slaves.
• In such an arrangement, both of the masters may (but need not) be identical and each may store information about the state of the various active Webcam sessions in a master session table1320 (seeFIG. 13A). The master session table1320 may reside on a master server and may contain information pertaining to a Webcam session such as, for example, a listing of all active Webcam sessions. Parameters in the master session table1320 for each session may comprise a user name, IP address of the slave handling the session, time of last update, etc.
• Slaves may handle the authentication and transfer of images during a session. They may cache the images for each user in memory between the times they are updated and feed it to any viewer that requests it.
• The slaves may maintain a dedicated connection with the master and update the session tables when a user is added or removed and update the complete session table on a regular basis, such as, for example, once every 120 seconds. The slaves may also send a heart beat pulse on a regular basis, such as, for example, every second, to keep up-to-date the list of live slaves and balance the load on the slave servers.
• At the beginning of a session, a master may redirect thebroadcaster computers120 to the slave with the least load. This slave may then be responsible for the rest of the session. When aviewer computer130,132 requests images for thatbroadcaster computer120, the masters read the information from the session table and redirect theviewer computers130,132 to the correct slave. The slave may now serve the images, and theviewer computer130,132 contacts that same slave for all future requests.
• In an exemplary embodiment, the masters may be placed behind a device that provides a virtual IP address to a user's computer and redirects any incoming traffic to one of the master servers, while providing the illusion of a single server to all user computers, and while balancing the load to each server, as is known by those skilled in the art, (such a device commonly being referred to as a foundry by those skilled in the art). To reduce overhead, the foundry does not interfere with any return traffic. Also, when an entire server farm is small enough, the masters can also act as slaves to minimize hardware and maintenance costs.
• In a master/slave embodiment, scalability may be achieved by adding as many slaves as required. Redundancy of masters facilitates a scenario where there will always be at least one active master to start new sessions and n−2 degrees of redundancy for the slaves. It also allows for dynamic load distribution by the master. During scheduled maintenance, theWebcam servers110 may be brought down one at a time. TheWebcam servers110 may then instructbroadcaster computer120 andviewer computers130,132 to reconnect to a different slave, thereby minimizing downtime for the Webcam service.
• Although not depicted in the figures, the servers and computers described herein generally include such other art recognized components as are ordinarily found in server systems, including, but not limited to, CPUs, RAM, ROM, memory, clocks, hardware drivers, interfaces, and the like. The servers are preferably configured using the Windows®NT/2000, UNIX or Sun Solaris operating systems, although one skilled in the art will recognize that the particular configuration of the servers is not critical to the present invention. Furthermore, different tasks, illustrated herein as being performed on separate and distinct servers, may, in some embodiments, be performed on the same server. Conversely, individual tasks, illustrated herein as being performed on a single server, may be distributed among several servers.
• With reference toFIGS. 2A-4B, there is illustrated an exemplary process flow of abroadcaster computer120 andviewer computers130,132 forming a Webcam session.
• Turning first toFIGS. 2A and 2B, there is illustrated an exemplary process flow for a communication session that begins with one user at aviewer computer130 asking permission to see one other user's Webcam images sent from abroadcaster computer120. First, instep210, thebroadcaster computer120 invitesviewer computer130 to view images from thebroadcaster computer120 Webcam. The communications are handled by and throughWebcam server110. Next, in step212, theviewer computer130 requests to view images from thebroadcaster computer120. Next, in step214, thebroadcaster computer120 begins broadcasting images to the viewer computer via theWebcam server110. Next, instep216, because only oneviewer computer130 is viewing, thebroadcaster computer120 alerts the broadcasting user that a peer-to-peer connectivity option (also referred to herein as “turbo” mode) is available. At this point, in step218, thebroadcaster computer120 may query the broadcasting user as to whether a peer-to-peer connection should always be used if available. The broadcasting user, instep224, can then select a peer-to-peer connection (either always, if possible, or just for the current Webcam session, the specific selection being stored as a parameter value in universal database1310). At this point, in step226, if so requested, a peer-to-peer link is established between thebroadcaster computer120 and theviewer computer130. During a peer-to-peer connection, the image data is transmitted from thebroadcaster computer120 to theviewer computer130 without passing through theWebcam server110. In this scenario, only control and monitoring data continues to be passed through theWebcam server110. In an exemplary embodiment, control and monitoring data may be stored at theWebcam server110 in control and monitoring table1330 (seeFIG. 13A). Parameters that may be stored in control and monitoring table1330 may comprise viewer pause status, uploader pause status, viewer start status, viewer leave status, viewer count, peer-to-peer initiate status, as well as other parameters.
• Turning now toFIGS. 3A and 3B, there is illustrated a continuation of the above-described exemplary process flow, during which a second viewing user atviewer computer132 joins the Webcam session. Generally, a second viewer joins the Webcam session, for example, by asking permission to view thebroadcaster computer120 Webcam. When this occurs,system100 switches from sending images via a peer-to-peer connection and instead reroutes the images toWebcam server110 while also keeping the peer-to-peer connection active (the peer-to-peer connection may be kept active so that images may revert to being sent via the peer-to-peer link under circumstances described below). First, instep310, as discussed above, thebroadcaster computer120 transmits images to afirst viewer computer130 via a peer-to-peer connection, without the images passing throughWebcam server110. It should be understood that although the connection between thebroadcaster computer120 andviewer computer132 as shown is a direct connection, the connection may be via components other than theWebcam server110, such as components comprising the Internet or the network in which thebroadcaster computer120 andviewer computer132 reside. /Next, instep316, a second viewer, using asecond viewer computer132 requests to view images from thebroadcaster computer120. If, instep322, thebroadcaster computer120 has its preferences set to “ignore other requests,” then thesecond viewer computer130 will not be permitted to join the Webcam session, and thebroadcaster computer120 andfirst viewer computer130 will continue a Webcam session in peer-to peer-mode. If, instep324, on the other hand, thebroadcaster computer120 does not have its preferences set to “ignore requests,” then the broadcasting user at the broadcaster computer is alerted that peer-to-peer mode will be discontinued if a second viewer computer is permitted to join the Webcam session. If, in step378, the broadcasting user at thebroadcaster computer120 permits thesecond viewer computer132 to join the Webcam session, then thebroadcaster computer120 transmits images toWebcam server110, which in turn transmits the images to both thefirst viewer computer130 and thesecond viewer computer132. The peer-to-peer connection, while no longer used to transmit images in this scenario, for reasons discussed below, is still maintained between thebroadcaster computer120 and thefirst viewer computer130.
• Turning now toFIGS. 4A and 4B, there is illustrated a continuation of the above-described exemplary process flow, during which a second viewing user atviewer computer132 leaves the Webcam session (in an embodiment of the invention, all but one of the viewing computers would leave the viewing session if more than one viewing computer was viewing broadcaster computer120). Generally, the second viewer terminates the viewing session, and thesystem100 may revert back to transmitting images via the peer-to-peer connection that was maintained (although it was not being used to transmit images when two viewers were in the Webcam session), as described above. First, instep410, as described above, a Webcam session takes place wherein thebroadcaster computer120 transmits images toWebcam server110, which in turn transmits the images to both thefirst viewer computer130 and thesecond viewer computer132. The peer-to-peer connection, however, is still maintained between thebroadcaster computer120 and thefirst viewer computer130. Next, instep416, the second viewer atsecond viewer computer132 decides to leave the Webcam session. At this point, instep418, theWebcam server110 analyzes parameters in the session database to determine whether a peer-to-peer connection is now available between thebroadcaster computer120 and thefirst viewer computer130. If, instep424, theWebcam server110 determines that a peer-to-peer connection is not available, then the Webcam session continues with images being transmitted via theWebcam server110. If however, instep426, theWebcam server110 determines that a peer-to-peer connection is available at this point in the process, then a peer-to-peer connection is used to transmit images from thebroadcaster computer120 to thefirst viewer computer130.
• Turning toFIG. 5, there is illustrated an embodiment of anoptional process500 of bandwidth control forsystem100 referred to herein as graceful degradation. By thisprocess500,server system107 preferably keeps track of whether an image has been successfully fetched by eachviewer computer130,132.
• Specifically, each ofserver system107 anduploader system102 preferably determines if an image has been fully sent (or not) by checking a socket connection. As described herein, a socket is a software object that connects either theserver system107 oruploader system102 to a network protocol. For example,server system107 andbroadcaster system102 may send and receive TCP/IP messages by opening a socket and reading and writing data to and from the socket. This simplifies theserver system107 oruploader system102 functionality because theserver system107 oruploader system102 need only manipulate the socket while a computer operating system controls the transport of messages across the network. A socket in this sense is a software object, although it may be implemented in firmware.
• In an exemplary embodiment of the system, the socket connection may be either a blocking type or a non-blocking type. In a blocking socket, by definition, the socket connection is unavailable until the desired data has been fully transmitted. In a non-blocking socket, theserver system107 oruploader system102 maintains a count of the number of bytes being actually sent versus the number of bytes in an image to be transmitted. This count may reside in memory as part of eitherserver system107 onWebcam server110 oruploader system102 onbroadcaster computer120. When the two values are equal (or within a predetermined range), theserver system107 oruploader system102 recognizes that the image was fully sent.
• If, due to a network bottleneck, an image has not been successfully fetched,server system107 does not send the next image, so that the bottlenecked network does not become more bottlenecked. Each time an image is successfully fetched byviewer computers130,132, theviewer system105 of eachviewer computer130,132 forwards a transmission complete signal toserver system107 onWebcam server110. The transmission complete signal status is stored in the memory ofserver system107 ofWebcam server110. Ifserver system107 sends and image to aviewer computer130,132, and does not receive a transmission complete signal back from acertain viewer computer130,132, the viewer computer signal complete status is not recorded atWebcam server system107 ofWebcam server110, and further image transmission may be held up until a completion signal is successfully recorded.
• In an exemplary embodiment if the application, the graceful degradation function is not implemented if a peer-to-peer link is established between thebroadcaster computer120 and theviewer computer130, although, such a system could be implemented.
• Generally, graceful degradation is a process by which theserver system107 residing onWebcam server110 may drop entire image frames gradually, i.e., gracefully degrade the rate at which images are transmitted toviewer computer130,132, without material disruption of the continuity/quality of the user experience. Inherently, most networks experience sudden, intermittent and temporary delays or other problems, which can cause undesired behavior or poor performance. By dropping image frames only as needed per user, theprocess500 andsystem100 provide improved performance within the bandwidth limitations of the underlying network. In certain embodiments, frame resolution is also decreased to further reduce needed bandwidth.
• With continued reference toFIG. 5,system100 is shown comprising broadcaster (or uploader)computer120 and twoviewer computers130,132, all of them connected to the Internet at the same speed (i.e., the connections have the same bandwidth). For ease and simplicity of explanation, it is to be assumed that there are no network bottlenecks (a network bottleneck being exemplified herein as packet loss and/or other network delay) betweenbroadcaster computer120 and theWebcam server110 viacommunication path150. It is also to be assumed that thecommunication path152 betweenWebcam server110 andviewer computer130 has no network bottlenecks, whilecommunication path154 betweenWebcam server110 andsecond viewer computer132 has intermittent network bottlenecks.
• By way of illustrative example, at time t₁,broadcaster computer120 uploads an image frame (I₁) to theWebcam server110. I₁arrives atWebcam server110 delayed only by the normal network latency between thebroadcaster computer120 andWebcam server110. Theserver computer110 sends I₁to bothviewer computers130 and132 at substantially the same time. Since thecommunication path152 betweenserver110 andviewer130 has no network bottlenecks, I₁arrives atviewer computer130 virtually instantly, delayed only by the network latency of thecommunication path152, and an image completion signal is sent toserver110 byviewer computer130. Since thecommunication path154 has intermittent bottlenecks, I₁takes a longer time to arrive atsecond viewer computer132. In the interim, at time t₂, thebroadcaster computer120 sends the second image frame I₂toWebcam server110, which gets routed toviewer computer130 in like manner to I₁. However, when I₂arrives atWebcam server110, I₁is still being sent out toviewer computer132 because of the network bottleneck atcommunication path154, and thus no image completion signal has yet been received atWebcam server110 fromviewer computer132. Hence, theWebcam server110 does not send12 to second viewer computer132 (i.e., employs graceful degradation for that user). At time t₃,broadcaster computer120 sends the third image frame I₃toWebcam server110. By this time, I₁has been completely sent tosecond viewer computer132 and thus an image completion signal is received atserver110 fromviewer computer132 for frame I₁. HenceWebcam server110 sends I₃to bothviewer computers130 and132. The net effect of the entire sequence of operations is that the image frame I₂is not sent toviewer computer132, but is sent toviewer computer130.
• In the above example, every other image frame reachedsecond viewer computer132. However, in other scenarios, every third image, or a varying sequence of images, such as, for example, the first, third, fifth, sixth and eighth images may be sent toviewer computer132, depending upon the varying state of the network conditions. The specific frames and number of frames dropped depends on whether a previous image has been sent and received, and need not be based upon a firm, hard coded schedule. As such, the determination of which frames are to be dropped can be a dynamic process based upon the ever changing state of communications.
• Also, the above example assumed only thecommunication path154 to have intermittent network bottlenecks. Of course, one skilled in the art would recognize that in another scenario,communication paths150 and152 could also have intermittent network bottlenecks, in which case frames might also not be sent fromWebcam server110 toviewer computer130. Furthermore,communication path150 might also have intermittent network bottlenecks, in which case, in a manner similar to that described above, certain images may not be sent frombroadcaster computer120 toWebcam server110.
• A benefit of the graceful degradation embodiment ofsystem100 is that it facilitatesWebcam server110 sending images todifferent viewer computers130,132 at different rates. Accordingly, images need not be sent to allviewer computers130,132 at the rate of the slowestconnected viewer computer130,132, (i.e., the lowest common denominator).
• Turning toFIGS. 6 and 7, there is illustrated an embodiment of aprocess700 by whichsystem100 controls system performance by limiting the bandwidth allotted per user. Generally, limiting the bandwidth per user, as described herein, means that thesystem100 assigns eachviewer computer130,132 a maximum amount of bandwidth that it may utilize in communicating with the Webcam server(s)110 at any given point in time, which may be varied over time, if desired, if bandwidth conditions permit, or if so desired for other user determined reasons. The maximum bandwidth per user is assigned byserver system107 and may be stored inuniversal database1310.
• Turning toFIGS. 6 and 7, the limiting of bandwidth consumed by each user occurs at both thebroadcaster computer120 andviewer computer130,132 or, in alternate embodiments, any subset thereof. In the case of limiting the bandwidth at thebroadcaster computer120, each user is allowed to have only one active broadcasting (or uploading) session at any given time. A throttling mechanism, preferably implemented as a software algorithm by either theuploader system102 ofbroadcaster computer120 or by theserver system107 ofWebcam server110, is used to limit the maximum network bandwidth used. With reference toFIGS. 6 and 7, thethrottle data structure600 consists of a sliding window array of paired time610 anddata length612 values. The times610 represent the instant of time when a packet of data (in this case an image, or data representing a portion of an image) is received (either by theWebcam server110, if uploaded viacommunication path150 from abroadcaster computer120, or by aviewer computer130,132, if fetched byviewer computers130,132 fromWebcam server110 viacommunication paths152 and154 respectively) and thedata lengths612 represent the length or size of each packet of data, for example, in bytes. The number of samples over which the throttling is to be done decides the length of the paired array. Every time a packet of data is received, the paired array (610,612) is used to calculate the current bandwidth used (bandwidth=total data length/time interval). The calculation may be performed by theuploader system102 onbroadcaster computer120 forcommunication path150, and byWebcam server system107 on Webcam server110 (by an algorithm residing in the respective software system). If the used bandwidth is less than the allowable bandwidth, then the packet of data is processed normally and its values are entered into the paired array. If the bandwidth used is greater than a predetermined, or desired allowable bandwidth, the packet is discarded and a value of 0 for the data length is used as the entry in the paired array. Alternatively, in another embodiment of the invention, based on a modification of the algorithm used, it is also possible to delay processing this packet of data by an arbitrary time so as to limit the maximum bandwidth used. In this scenario, the frame rate may be lowered, while the image quality (resolution) may remain the same.
• Additionally,viewer computers130,132 may be configured to also throttle to control bandwidth use if multiple viewer windows are open on a single viewer computer (more than one broadcaster is being viewed). In an embodiment of the system, throttling for theviewer computers130,132 is similar to that described above. However, in such a case, the allowable bandwidth per user is divided by the total number of active sessions or viewer windows open to compute the allowable bandwidth per session, and this computed value is used in the throttling mechanism. To keep track of the total number of active viewer sessions, the Webcam server(s)110 maintains a map of all users and the list of active viewing sessions for each user. In an embodiment ofsystem100, that map may be in the form of a master viewer session table1340 (seeFIG. 13A), residing in memory as part ofserver system107. When the number of viewing sessions changes, theserver system107 transmits a message toviewer computer130,132 informing each of the sessions to accordingly adjust the maximum allowable bandwidth for that session. The master viewer session table1340, which may reside on the master Webcam server, may contain a list of all unique viewers for a particular uploader (broadcaster). For each unique viewer, a list is maintained containing the list of uploaders that a particular viewer is viewing, and the IP address of the slave on which that uploader resides. For example, table1340 illustrates an exemplary parameter set reflecting a scenario whereinviewer computer130 is viewing broadcaster computer120 (U1) plus a second broadcaster computer (not shown) (U2), while second viewer computer132 (V2) is viewing only broadcaster computer120 (U1).
• A benefit of limiting bandwidth on a per user basis is that each user atviewer computers130,132 cannot view an excessive number of Webcam sessions and rapidly increase the bandwidth usage (and thus presumably cost) to the Webcam service provider and/or overwhelm theWebcam servers110, (since the Webcam server(s) send(s) a separate image stream for each window onviewer computer130,132 that a user has open). Thus, even if a user atviewer computer130 initiates multiple viewer sessions (attempts to view images from multiple broadcaster computers120), the bandwidth assigned to thatviewer computer130 will not increase, because thesystem100 has the capability, as described above, to detect multiple viewer Webcam sessions and lower the frame rate per viewer session accordingly to keep overall bandwidth per user within predetermined limits. In certain embodiments, the system can also lower the frame resolution. In certain embodiments, the system allows a user to increase bandwidth, for example, to a predetermined amount or by a certain percentage before limiting the bandwidth. In certain of such embodiments, each user's available increase is associated with a different level of service (e.g., free versus paid.)
• Another benefit of the per user bandwidth limitation is that it facilitates maximizing of performance given a set bandwidth limitation. Accordingly, a Webcam service provider may be protected from unplanned bandwidth costs and malicious hackers who may try to break or overload thesystem100 by uploading or viewing a large number of images. Additionally, it also protects relatively low bandwidth users (e.g., 28.8 Kbps dialup) from clogging their individual communication path with too many open viewer windows (i.e., viewing images from multiple broadcaster computers). Accordingly, an embodiment of thesystem100 may have the ability to collectively limit the overall bandwidth atviewer computer130 while accommodating additional viewer Webcam sessions (i.e., allow aviewer computer130 to view images from multiple broadcaster computers).
• Turning toFIG. 8, there is illustrated an embodiment of aprocess800 by whichsystem100 may facilitate proportional performance ofvarious viewer computers130,132,134. In an embodiment ofsystem100, by a manner described below, when there are multiple viewers andviewer computers130,132,134, communicating overrespective communication paths830,832,834, the performance of eachviewer computer130,132,134 is in accordance to its infrastructure (or communication path speed) and not the minimum of the whole set. As an example, consider 3 different types of communication paths: a dial-up communication path830 (smallest bandwidth); a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) communication path832 (medium bandwidth); and a LAN or Broadband communication path834 (maximum bandwidth). If thebroadcaster computer120 is on a LAN orbroadband communication path820 and the threeviewer computers130,132,134 are on a dial up830,DSL832 and LAN orbroadband communication path134 respectively, then each viewer computer's130,132,134 performance may be in accordance with the relative speed of itscommunication path830,832,834 (or network connection speed). Specifically, theviewer computer130 using the dial-upcommunication path830 would get the poorest performance, followed by better performance for theviewer computer132 using theDSL communication path832, and, finally, the best performance would be achieved byviewer computer134 using the LAN orbroadband communication path834.
• In an embodiment ofsystem100 and Webcam server(s)110, the above-described proportional performance may be achieved by implementing throttling mechanisms as described above with respect to graceful degradation and the limiting of bandwidth use.
• In such an embodiment, theviewer systems105 resident on each of theviewer computers130,132,134 may notify theserver system107 resident onWebcam server110 of the speed of its network connection at the beginning of a Webcam session. This is accomplished by, for example, theviewer system105 initially storing in memory, as part ofviewer system105, the network speed (as obtained from a network driver on the viewer computer130). Theviewer system105 then transmits this network speed toserver system107 onWebcam server110. In an embodiment of the invention, that network speed information is stored at slave session table1350 (seeFIG. 13B) inWebcam server system107. The slave session table1350 may reside atWebcam server system107 at a slave Webcam server, as may master viewer session table1340 (seeFIG. 13A). The slave session table1350 maintains the list of viewer computers for each broadcaster computer on that slave. For each viewer computer it may store parameters such as, for example, viewer connection speed, viewer name, viewer room name (if they are in a chat room) and viewer IP address. These parameters may be initially transferred fromviewer system105 of each of theviewer computers130,132,134 viarespective communication paths830,832 and834.
• Each of theviewer computers130,132,134 (via its viewer system105) notifies theWebcam server110 of the speed of its network connection (or type of connection) at the beginning of a Webcam session, and theWebcam server system107 computes the maximum allowable bandwidth for that Webcam session based on an algorithm chosen by the system designers. Such an algorithm may be, for example, a computation of a predetermined percentage of the network connection speed obtained from a viewer computer, or the full speed may be used, or a fixed speed may be assigned depending on the type of network connection, or some other computation may be performed, as a matter of design choice. Thus, for example, aviewer computer134 using a highbandwidth communication path834 could have its bandwidth use capped (via an algorithm performed by theserver system107 at Webcam server110) at 280 Kbps, aviewer computer132 using a mediumbandwidth communication path832 could have its bandwidth use capped (via an algorithm performed by theserver system107 at Webcam server110) at 80 Kbps (connection832) and aviewer computer130 using a lowbandwidth communication path830 could have its bandwidth be capped (via an algorithm performed by theserver system107 at Webcam server110) at 20 Kbps, or any other selected or computed values, as a matter of design choice by one skilled in the art based upon the teachings herein. Thus, a highbandwidth viewer computer134 would likely receive all (or relatively the most) of the transmitted image frames, while a mediumbandwidth viewer computer132 would likely have some number of image frames discarded, and thelow bandwidth user130 would likely have, relatively, the most image frames discarded. The net result is a performance that is related to, and thus optimized for, each underlying communication path (or network connection).
• With reference toFIG. 9, there is illustrated an embodiment of aprocess900 by whichsystem100 may facilitate selective access or access control of a Webcam session. In general, selective access provides for the ability of the broadcaster computer120 (uploader) to control the list of viewers andviewer computers130,132 that are given access to images frombroadcaster computer120 for viewing, either automatically or via prompt.
• In an embodiment of thesystem100, when aviewer computer130,132 connects to the Webcam server(s)110, theviewer computer130,132, instep940, may request to view the images of a specific broadcaster computer120 (uploader). This step may be accomplished by way of theviewer system105 ofviewer computer130 transmitting a request from a user to theserver system107 atWebcam server110. Theserver system107 may authenticate the user, instep941, based on credentials specified by a user at thebroadcaster computer120. The authentification is performed by theserver system107, which compares identification data transmitted fromviewer computer130 to a list of allowed viewers stored in memory atuploader system102 onbroadcaster system120, and transmitted toserver system107 atWebcam server110.Webcam server system107 andWebcam server110 then determine if the requested broadcaster computer120 (uploader) is in fact currently broadcasting (by waiting for signals frombroadcaster computer120 for a certain duration of time). Instep942, theWebcam server110 sends a viewing request to theuploader system102 atbroadcaster computer120. The user, instep943, at thebroadcaster computer120 may then decide whether to grant access to the user at theviewer computer130 or not. The user may make this decision, or selection, by clicking an appropriate button on the user interface that is a part ofuploader system102. Finally, instep944, the user atviewer computer944 is informed of the broadcasting user's decision. The decision is transmitted fromWebcam server110 toviewer system105 onviewer computer130. The user atviewer computer130 may see the decision via the user interface that is part ofviewer system105 atviewer computer130. Additionally, other authentication techniques, such as those based on IP addresses and/or information stored on a “cookie” on aviewer computer130 may be used.
• With reference toFIG. 14, and continuing reference toFIG. 1, in an embodiment of the invention,Webcam system100 may be used in combination with aninstant messenger system1400.Instant messenger system1400 may comprise one or more instantmessenger user computers1420,1430, each loaded with aninstant messenger system1402,1405 loaded thereon; and one or moreinstant messenger servers1410 with instantmessenger server system1407 loaded thereon.
• Instantmessenger user computers1420,1430 andinstant messenger systems1402,1405 may be designed and configured to allow instant messenger users to exchange textual instant messages as is known by those skilled in the art.Instant messenger server1410 and instantmessenger server system1407 receive instant messages from, for example, instantmessenger user computers1420, via theInternet1433, and forward those messages to second instantmessenger user computers1430 in a manner as is now known or may become known to those skilled in the art. As is known in the art,instant messenger computer1420 may be used to send instant messages toinstant messenger computer1430 andinstant messenger computer1430 is also used to send instant messages toinstant messenger computer1420.
• In an embodiment of the present invention, whereWebcam system100 is used in combination withinstant messenger system1400,broadcaster computer120, for example, is loaded withinstant messenger system1402 such thatbroadcaster computer120 and instantmessenger user computer1420 are the same computer. Likewise,viewer computer130 may be loaded withinstant messenger system1405 such thatviewer computer130 and instantmessenger user computer1430 may be the same computer. In an embodiment of the invention, the instant messenger functionality and the Webcam functionality may be integrated into a single software application.
• In such an embodiment, for example, a first user can be associated with a first user identifier or ID, an instant message can be associated with the first user ID, and an image can be associated with the first user ID. The instant message is caused to be communicated to the first user based on the first user ID and the image is communicated to the first user based on the first user ID, such that the first user is able to receive both the instant message and image from the second user.
• In an exemplary embodiment, however,Webcam server110 andinstant messenger server1410 may be two or more separate and distinct servers. In an embodiment of the invention, however, the instant messenger server functionality and the Webcam server functionality could reside on a single server.
• In an embodiment of the present invention whereinWebcam system100 may be used in combination with instant messenger system1400 (seeFIG. 14), as described above, users may benefit my enjoying Webcam sessions simultaneously with instant messenger sessions.
• In general, a user may download instantmessenger user system1402 to a instantmessenger user computer1420 by making a request at an appropriate Web site, and entering a user ID and password, whereby the appropriate software comprising instantmessenger user system1402 is automatically loaded to instantmessenger user computer1420.
• Once instantmessenger user system1402 is loaded on to instantmessenger user computer1420, the user may click on an appropriate icon to display, with reference toFIG. 15, an introductoryinstant messenger screen1500. By choosing the “login” option, with reference toFIG. 16, instantmessenger login screen1600 may be displayed. At this point, the user may enter the appropriate ID and password, and, if authentication as discussed above is achieved, and with reference toFIG. 17, instantmessenger status screen1700 may be displayed. By viewing instantmessenger status screen1700, the user may determine, for example, the online status and instant messenger availability of selected friends of the user. In an embodiment of the invention, the user may select, from the “tools” menu, the option “view my Webcam.” If camera/video device103 (seeFIG. 1) is properly coupled to instant messenger computer1420 (which, in this example, also may serve as broadcaster computer120 (seeFIG. 1)) (If the camera/video device103 is not properly coupled toinstant messenger computer1420, then an error message may be displayed). At this point, with reference toFIG. 18, the “my Webcam”screen1800 may be initiated, which allows the user to view images from the broadcaster computer's120 own camera/video device103. This step allows the user to view his or her own image and inspect, for example, the image quality, lighting, and camera angle the user's particular Webcam setup. As described herein, the term “screens” may also denote a “window” such that multiple screens or “windows” may be viewed by the user simultaneously, as is known by those skilled in the art.
• The user may select “login” and “preferences” from the instantmessenger status screen1700 to initiate and view, with reference toFIG. 19, preferences screen1900. Frompreferences screen1900, a user may select a specific category, such as, for example, “Webcam” for which to adjust preferences. Preferences are default settings for certain parameters related to the instant messenger and Webcam sessions. Examples of preferences that may be adjusted include the selection between faster image refresh rate and better image quality; whether to always ask the user's permission before allowing another user to view the uploaded images, allow all who request to view the uploaded images, or to allow only those listed on a specific list to be allowed to view the uploaded images. Additional parameters may also be adjusted and set as “preferences” from preferences screen1900. If the user selects the option “allow only the following people to view my Webcam,” the user may choose to edit the allowed list, with reference toFIG. 20, via the “select users to allow to view Webcam”screen2000. From this screen, the user may select other users from a “friend list” to be added or deleted from an “allow list.”
• Furthermore, from the “tools” menu, the user may invite another user to view the uploaded images of thebroadcaster computer120. With reference toFIG. 21, an exemplary screen for inviting another user to view the uploaded images is shown. From this screen, other users may be invited to view uploaded images by typing in the other users' IDs into an appropriate field.
• When the user at thebroadcaster computer120 invites another user at aviewer computer130 to view the uploaded images from thebroadcaster computer120, the user at the viewer computer, withinstant messenger system1405 loaded thereon, views aWebcam invitation screen2200 displaying the invitation, as can be seen inFIG. 22. If the user atviewer computer130 selects “yes,” thus accepting the invitation, and with reference toFIG. 23, aWebcam viewer screen2300 is displayed.Webcam viewer screen2300 allows the user atviewer computer130 to view the uploaded images from camera/video device103 of thebroadcaster computer120.
• The user atviewer computer130 may also select the “view friend's Webcam” option to initiate and view the “view friend's Webcam”screen2400, as is illustrated inFIG. 24. From “view friend's Webcam”screen2400, a user may select the ID of another user for viewing. If, however, the selected broadcaster has not selected the user who requested viewing for having automatic permission to view, then the user requesting to view must wait for permission to view from the user at the broadcaster computer. While waiting for permission, in an exemplary embodiment of the system, the requesting viewer will view “waiting for permission”screen2500, as illustrated inFIG. 25. In turn, the user at thebroadcaster computer120 whose permission to be viewed is requested will view a “grant permission”screen2600, as is illustrated inFIG. 26.
• An embodiment of an instant messenger preferences dialog box in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated inFIG. 10. In an embodiment of the invention, the preferences are certain default settings of parameters related to a Webcam session, as may be chosen and/or modified by the user. An instantmessenger dialog box1000 may have several preferences that allow various levels of automated handling of viewing requests. First, the uploader can choose to allow blanket access to all users. Next, the uploader may allow access to only the specified list of friends by specifying their IDs. If a viewing request if not from a friend in that list, the instant messenger system can either prompt the user for action or deny the request based on the selected preferences. Next, the uploader can be prompted for all viewing requests thereby turning off any automated handling of requests. In addition, it is possible for the uploader client to maintain lists of friends to always be ignored.
• The chosen preferences information preferably remains persistent across sessions and independent of the actual machines used, by saving these preferences in a central persistent server, such as, for example,Webcam server110. In an embodiment of the invention, these parameters may be stored in universal database1310 (seeFIG. 13A), discussed above. Thus a user logging in to the system from any computer equipped with the necessary software will achieve the same functionality, as expressed by that user's selected preferences, as if that user were at his or her own computer.
• Furthermore, the broadcaster computer may also display a viewer list. A viewer list allows the broadcaster (uploader) to see the list of all viewers watching that broadcaster at any given instance, along with a total viewer count. Preferably, every time a viewer begins viewing, the uploader is informed of the ID of the viewer and the total count of viewers. This information is also preferably updated when a viewing session is terminated.
• With reference toFIG. 11, there is illustrated an embodiment of aprocess1100 by whichsystem100 may facilitate selective removal ofviewer computers130,132. Generally, selective removal, as defined herein, is the ability for a broadcaster (uploader) to selectively remove a viewer, possibly from a list of viewers who are watching, without terminating the Webcam session. This gives the uploader full control of who may view uploaded images.
• Inprocess1100, a user may be uploading images frombroadcaster computer120 toWebcam server110 viacommunication path1140, which are in turn fetched byfirst user computer130 viacommunication path1142 andsecond user computer132 viacommunication path1144. Next, instep1150, if a user atbroadcaster computer120 selects to removesecond viewer computer132 from the Webcam session,uploader system102 onbroadcaster computer120 forwards a removal message toserver system107 onWebcam server110.Server system107, instep1152, then communicates withviewer system105 onsecond viewer computer132 and forwards a message to disconnectsecond viewer computer132 from the Webcam session.First viewer computer130, instep1154, however, remains as part of the Webcam session asviewer system105 onfirst viewer computer130 continues to fetch images fromserver system107 as they continue to be persistently uploaded frombroadcaster computer120.
• Because the Webcam session of thebroadcaster computer120 is not terminated instep1152, thefirst viewer computer130 does not have to reconnect to the Webcam session. Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention allows abroadcaster computer120 to selectively terminate one viewer while maintaining connections with other viewers.
• Theuploader system102 preferably maintains a list of viewers currently viewing at any given time, which list may reside atbroadcaster computer120 in part ofuploader system102. Theuploader system102 onbroadcaster computer120 transmits a particular user identifier, from the user list that resides inuploader system102. A benefit of selective removal of viewers is that the whole process is transparent to all unaffected entities (such as additional viewers) while providing full control of who may view uploaded images to the broadcaster (uploader).
• An embodiment of a process by whichsystem100 may facilitate dynamic parameter setting is illustrated inFIG. 12. As described herein, dynamic parameter setting, generally, is the ability to store a user's preferred parameter settings atWebcam server110, and transmit those settings to a user computer, such asbroadcaster computer120, at the beginning of a Webcam or instant messenger session.
• For example, a user may choose a setting, such as, for example, image resolution, by selecting a slider value between 0 and 10 (seeFIG. 10). With continued reference toFIG. 12, at the beginning of each broadcasting session, instep1220, when a broadcasting user initiates a Webcam session atbroadcast computer120, anduploader system102 requests a list of parameters associated with the particular user based on the user ID. The user parameters may be stored in a configuration file1360 (seeFIG. 13B) residing atWebcam server110. These parameters may be read fromWebcam server110 byuploader system102 ofbroadcaster computer120 at the beginning of a Webcam session. The requested parameters may include, for example, the Webcam image resolution. Theuploader computer120, instep1222, may then receive the requested parameters and commence a Webcam session using the preferred parameters. If a user, via the user interface, changes a parameter setting, the new parameter value is transmitted from the broadcaster computer to theserver computer110 andconfiguration file1360 is updated accordingly.
• While the invention has been described in conjunction with certain embodiments thereof, various modifications and substitutions can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The invention has only also been described with reference to examples, which are presented for illustration only, and thus no limitation should be imposed. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is to be governed by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (28)

1. A method for facilitating communication of an instant message and an image to a first user from a second user, the method comprising:

associating the first user with a first user ID;

associating the instant message with the first user ID;

associating the image with the first user ID;

causing the instant message to be communicated to the first user based on the first user ID; and

causing the image to be communicated to the first user based on the first user ID;

wherein the first user is able to receive both the instant message and image from the second user.

2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the second user uses a broadcaster computer and the first user uses first viewer computer, the method further comprising:

receiving a request to initiate one or more server connections between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer, the connections for passing the image;

facilitating a peer-to-peer connection between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer, the peer-to-peer connection for passing the image; and

facilitating communication of the image over the peer-to-peer connection instead of the server connections, thereby conserving bandwidth of the servers.

3. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising:

receiving control data for the image from the broadcaster computer.

4. The method ofclaim 2, wherein a third user uses a second viewer computer, further comprising, after passing the image from the broadcaster computer to the first viewer computer:

passing a request to view the image from a second viewer computer to the broadcaster computer; and

facilitating the reestablishing of a first server connection between the broadcaster computer and the first server computer for passing the image in response to receiving the second viewer computer request; and

facilitating a second server connection between the broadcaster computer and the second viewer computer for passing the image, thereby permitting both the first viewer computer and the second viewer computer to receive the image.

5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the reestablishing is in response to the broadcaster computer receiving approval from the second user.

6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the third user is on an approved list.

7. The method ofclaim 4, further comprising:

maintaining the peer-to-peer connection during existence of the server connection to the second viewer computer;

terminating the second server connection; and

facilitating the passing of the image over the peer-to-peer connection in response to termination of the second server connection.

8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising:

associating a second user ID with the second user;

wherein causing the instant message to be communicated to the first user is further based on the second user ID.

9. A method for communicating images from a broadcaster computer to a first viewer computer, the method comprising:

initiating one or more server connections between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer via one or more application servers, the connections for passing an image and an instant message;

receiving an indication to establish a peer-to-peer connection between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer, the peer-to-peer connection for passing the image; and

routing the image over the peer-to-peer connection instead of the server connections, thereby conserving bandwidth of the servers.

10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the server connections with the application servers are for passing control data for the image.

11. The method ofclaim 10, wherein the server connections are further for passing an instant message.

12. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising, after routing the image over the peer-to-peer connection:

receiving a request from a second viewer computer to view the image; and

in response to receiving the second viewer computer request, reestablishing a first server connection between the broadcaster computer and the first server computer for passing the image; and

establishing a second server connection between the broadcaster computer and the second viewer computer for passing the image, thereby permitting both the first viewer computer and the second viewer computer to receive the image.

13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the reestablishing is in response to the broadcaster computer receiving approval from a broadcasting user of the broadcaster computer.

14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the user of the second viewer computer is on an approved list.

15. The method ofclaim 12, further comprising:

maintaining the peer-to-peer connection during existence of the second server connection to the second viewer computer;

detecting termination of the second server connection; and

automatically rerouting the image over the peer-to-peer connection in response to termination of the second server connection.

16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the server connections are used for passing instant messages.

17. A method for communicating a series of images from a broadcaster computer to a first viewer computer, the method comprising:

initiating one or more server connections between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer via one or more application servers, the connections for passing the series of images;

routing a first image of the series of images over the server connections from the broadcaster computer to the first viewer computer; and

routing a second image of the series of images over the server connections from the broadcaster computer to the first viewer computer upon receiving an indication that the first viewer computer received the first image.

18. A method for communicating an image from a broadcaster computer to one or more viewer computers, the method comprising:

initiating one or more server connections between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer via one or more application servers, the connections for passing the series of images;

identifying a capacity value of the server connections; and

routing an image over the server connections from the broadcaster computer to the viewer computers if the total capacity of the server connections to the viewer computers is less than the capacity value.

19. A method for passing by one or more application servers images from a broadcaster computer to a first viewer computer, the method comprising:

receiving a request to initiate one or more server connections between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer, the connections for passing an image and an instant message;

facilitating a peer-to-peer connection between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer, the peer-to-peer connection for passing the image; and

facilitating communication of an image over the peer-to-peer connection instead of the server connections, thereby conserving bandwidth of the servers.

20. The method ofclaim 19, further comprising:

receiving control data for the image from the broadcaster computer.

21. The method ofclaim 20, further comprising:

passing an instant message from the broadcaster computer to the first viewer computer.

22. The method ofclaim 19, further comprising, after passing the image from the broadcaster computer to the first viewer computer:

passing a request to view the image from a second viewer computer to the broadcaster computer; and

facilitating the reestablishing of a first server connection between the broadcaster computer and the first server computer for passing the image in response to receiving the second viewer computer request; and

facilitating a second server connection between the broadcaster computer and the second viewer computer for passing the image, thereby permitting both the first viewer computer and the second viewer computer to receive the image.

23. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the reestablishing is in response to the broadcaster computer receiving approval from a broadcasting user of the broadcaster computer.

24. The method ofclaim 23, wherein the user of the second viewer computer is on an approved list.

25. The method ofclaim 22, further comprising:

maintaining the peer-to-peer connection during existence of the server connection to the second viewer computer;

terminating the second server connection; and

facilitating the passing of the image over the peer-to-peer connection in response to termination of the second server connection.

26. The method ofclaim 25, further comprising:

passing instant messages between the broadcaster computer and the first viewer computer.

27. A method for communicating a series of images from a broadcaster computer to a first viewer computer via one or more application servers, the method comprising:

passing a first image of the series of images from the broadcaster computer to the first viewer computer; and

detecting whether an indication from the first viewer computer as to whether the first image has been received; and

passing a second image of the series of images if the first image has been received.

28. A method for passing an image from a broadcaster computer to one or more viewer computers over one or more server connections, the method comprising:

detecting a capacity of each of the server connections;

determining the total capacity of the server connections;

passing the image from the broadcaster computer to the viewer computers only if the total capacity of the server connections is less than a predetermined capacity value of the server connections.

Images